The Sakura
by Fury Cutter
Summary: A short piece based on a scene from my favourite episode of How I Met Your Mother. Sakura has just learned that Naruto is planning to propose to Hinata. On what could be her last chance she is racing to Naruto and confront him about her unresolved feelings for him.


AN  
"Blah"- Normal Speech  
_'Blah'_- Thoughts  
_Blah_- Written text

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_Naruto_

The Sakura

She couldn't believe she was doing this, this had to be 'the' craziest thing she had ever done. This was supposed to be Sasuke's big night, she was supposed to be at the party to celebrate along with all her other friends. Heck even Shikamaru and Ino were going to be there, Kurenai-sensei had agreed to babysit so the two of them could be there.

But instead here she was climbing the steps to the Hokage monument all so she could confront Naruto. Not ten minutes ago Sasuke had told her that Naruto was going to propose to Hinata tonight. _'DAMNIT HINATA…'_

She had made it half way up when she came to the realization that the outfit she was wearing was totally impractical for this, slipping off her shoes she resumed her the trek up the stairs, letting out the odd curse as she did.

A few minutes later Sakura reached the top and, after taking a moment to slip her shoes back on, she stepped out onto the monument that overlooked the village and boy had Naruto gone to town on this one. A small pavilion had been set up, decorated with lights with delicate red rose petals were strewn over a makeshift path created by two parallel rows of lanterns on the ground.

This was the set up Sakura had always secretly hoped would be the setup if/when someone proposed to her, it was all right here. The location, the set up, she couldn't imagine anything more perfect. And it was all for Hinata. _'DAMNIT HINATA…'_

Walking the make shift path she made her way to the pravillion, she wondered where the happy couple way. She had expected to discover the pair just as The Hyuga heiress said yes but there was nowhere to be seen. Was she too late, had they already done the deed and moved on? Did she get there too early? Sasuke had been so sure when he told her of Naruto's intention, but could he have been mistaken?

Upon entering the structure she noticed a single piece of yellowed paper lying on the floor. Upon closer inspection she quickly recognized it was a page from 'The Play Book', that book that had been given to Naruto by his crazy master Jiraiya, filled with pages of plays and tricks all for the purpose of picking up girls.

'_What's this doing there?__ I mean I watched Naruto burn that thing __the night I…broke into his apartment.'_ She wondered as she picked it up as she, a small pang of guilt resonated within her that she had resorted to such a thing.

It was then that she noticed something that made her eyes widen in shock, at the top of the page two words were written: The Sakura. More confused then ever she looked to see a series of elaborate steps detailed in the same script below.

_Step 1: Admit to yourself that you still have feelings for this girl._ Wait, he was being serious?! She'd thought he was just trying to get rid of Kankuro for her.

_Step 2: Choose the completely wrong moment to make a drunken move on her after hanging out at the Ramen Stand-and get shot down, on purpose._ He did that on purpose? Confusion growing and a headache settling into her temples, she continued.

_Step 3: Agree that you two don't work, locking the door on any future you can have together, which will drive Sakura nuts._ Oh, Sakura remembered that moment all too well. It had lodged in her throat, and stuck there, like a bad piece of food that refused to stay down.

_Step 4: Sakura goes nuts_. And of course, her humiliation had to play a part in his master plan. _Dammit Naruto, you can't just play with people like they're some kind of toy!_ That had been the low point in her life. The fawning, that ridiculous action girl getup she had worn in an desperate attempt to impress him, what was she thinking? She was embarrassed for herself, let alone her friends' embarrassment for her.

_Step 5: Find the person who annoys Sakura most in the world, and ask for her help._ _Explain everything to Hinata and hope she agrees to help. _Ugh. Sakura cringed. _DAMMIT! NOBODY ASKED FOR YOUR HELP, HINATA!_ Except, apparently, Naruto had. She was quickly growing more and more irritated at him.

_Step 6: Check with your doctor about where its possible to from too many possible broken ribs._ Sakura had no idea what that was about, but she let out a bitter chuckle. Good. Served the smug bastard right.

_Step 7: Pretend to be dating Hinata:_ So it was all a lie. He was just toying around with her heart, using some kind of twisted reverse psychology on her. He knew that she'd go after him when he was with someone else. He knew her better than she knew herself. And still, he'd let her go through with it. That awful night when she'd shown up at his apartment in that ridiculous lingerie…Sakura cringed at the memory. _This stupid play better be over soon,_ she thought, but continued reading. She had to know where this was going.

_Step 8: Wait until Sakura inevitably breaks into your place to find the playbook and show it to Hinata, which you'll monitor via the hidden cameras you have in your apartment. _Was there any part of the past few months he didn't orchestrate? Wait, he had hidden cameras in his apartment? What kind of person did such a thing; she didn't even want to think about what else could be found on those tapes. She massaged her temples, attempting to assuage the now throbbing headache.

_Step 9: After Hinata "finds" the playbook, have your first "big fight"._ Sakura remembered that one too. She was watching through the crack in Naruto's kitchen closet, hopes up about her chances with him. So that was fake too. Was there any part of her life that wasn't fake?

_Step 10: Prove your loyalty to Hinata by burning the playbook, and actually burn it. You won't be needing it anymore. _Oh yes, the burning of the playbook. Sakura had figured it was just a magic trick or a stunt to win Hinata back over, but it had been real, and it had been for her. Her eyes started to mist over with tears again. What the hell was going on here…?

_Step 11: Because your friends have no boundaries, they'll inevitably have an intervention for Sakura, which you'll monitor via the hidden cameras you have in Shikamaru and Ino's apartment._ Well that was true enough. They seriously needed boundaries. They were so codependent even other people noticed. Heck, even they'd noticed! Oh my…did that mean Naruto had cameras in her apartment too? A shiver of disgust ran down her body as she tried to push away that mental image and continue reading this increasingly more baffling play.

_Step 12: Tell only Sasuke about your plan to propose to Hinata._ And of course, Sasuke couldn't keep it a secret from her because he knew she still loved Naruto. Since when was her life so out of her control?

_Step 13: Wait and see if Sasuke tells Sakura, and if he does, it means your best friend in the world has let go of Sakura, and has given you his blessing. _So Naruto planned that too. Wait, his blessing? Was Naruto planning to make a move on her? She didn't even know what to think anymore.

_Step 14: Sakura arrives at her favorite spot in the village, and finds the secret, final page of the playbook, the first and last play you'll ever run._ She suddenly felt very self-conscious, standing there and reading this. Everything was just part of his plan. She wasn't allowed to make her own decisions at all. She had been played like a finely tuned guitar.

_Step 15: Sakura realizes she's standing underneath mistletoe._ She looked up to see a sprig hung directly above her head hanging from the pavilion roof. She laughed. He had to be kidding. There was no way in hell she'd be willing to kiss him after this. As the implications of everything she had read struck her all at once, she noticed Naruto standing in the corner. Had he been there observing her the entire time?

She exhaled. "Seriously, Naruto?" she questioned in disbelief. "Even you — even someone as clinically idiotic as you-" she paused here to drive the point home "must realize this is too far! You lied to me, manipulated me for weeks!" She felt so hurt, so utterly and deeply betrayed. She had been nothing but honest with him, and he had been scheming and deceitful the entire time. Was there nothing she could trust him with anymore?

"Do you really think I could kiss you after that? Do you really think I could trust you after that?" He just stood there, smirking at her. Her rage growing, she continued, gesturing toward the page still held in her hands, "This, this is proof of why we don't work, why we'll never work." Her heart broke slowly into a thousand pieces as she said these words, realizing how true they were.

"So thank you. You set me free. How could I be with a man who thinks that this trick, this enormous lie could ever make me want to date him again?" She finally finished her speech, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. She had really worked herself up over this, and had every right to. How dare he toy around with her heart, manipulate her life until it suited him, and then in the midst of her vulnerability, strike her with this?

Despite this though Naruto's expression never changed, he just stood there with a sly grin seemingly etched into his face? Did he find this funny, was toying with her heart all some big joke to him?

"Turn it over" he said simply and calmly. Still fuming, she obliged this one last request, and was stunned at what she saw a single line written on the page.

_Step 16: Hope she says yes._

Wait, what? Yes to what? She looked up to see Naruto bent on one knee before her, holding out an engagement ring. The expression on his face was dead serious as he asked her the most important question of all, the final question.

"Sakura Haruno, will you marry me?"

She couldn't believe it, her heart was pounding in her chest and her mind was racing a mile a minute. After everything she had just learned, learning what he had done, he had the nerve to ask her that. She should be furious with him; she had every right to be. He had toyed with her feelings, manipulated her for weeks, all the lies and the mind games that had left her a total wreck.

And yet, despite it all…

"Yes…"

What else could she say, how could she not accept. This guy, this idiotic goofy guy had gone to such lengths, fooled everyone including her, all for this one moment and he had done it for her. After all the two had been through over the last few years, the laughs the tears, how could her answer be anything else.

His grin widening Naruto instantly leapt to his feet and captured the cherry blossom in a passionate kiss, one she could do little about other then return it. It seemed to go on for an eternity until the blond broke it for the task of slipping the ring on her finger before returning to paying lips service to one another, the first snow of the season beginning to fall as they did.

_Fini_

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AN Annd with that this is done, a short fic based on a scene from my favourite episode of _How I Met Your Mother_. I did this cos I've been on a HIMYM kick as of late and got inspired to do this plus its something to help me get over writers block.

Now to get a few things out of the way 1) If you don't get whats going on go to Youtube and type in 'HIMYM The Robin'. 2) If you think I'm being unfair to Hinata, I truly believe that she cares enough about Naruto and wants him to be happy and would agree to help him. 3) The Playbook, Now Naruto maybe a perv but I highly doubt he would have a book filled with tricks on how to pick up women, so I changed it up so it was something that was given to him by Jiraiya.

Anywho I'm done, please leave feed back and let me know you all thought.


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